Whitetailed Deer

I saw this female deer on the back of #5 tee yesterday.

Spring Blooms

Just a nice shot of the cherry trees between #5 and #6 in bloom.

Mallard Ducks

In early March, Leslie Park Golf Course hosted some 4th and 5th graders from the Ann Arbor Learning Community to help us build some mallard duck nesting tubes.  Early this April we mounted the tubes on some of the water features here at the golf course.

An early morning canoe paddle.

Attempting to put in the mounting post.

Getting the tube to the post.

One of the tubes from #17 green.

A curious couple looking for a new home. (The female is on top of the tube.)

A video of the two ducks checking out the new digs.

First day of Spring

At 7:02 EST this morning, Spring arrived. You may not be able to tell due to the 28 degree temperature and blowing snow, but Spring is here.

Here are some pictures to make you feel better.

Monarch Caterpillar

I saw these caterpillars on some common milkweed the other day. They are Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) larvae.

Notice the large hole that has been chewed in the milkweed leaf.

There are several caterpillars on this plant.

Turtle

There is a weir structure on the #17 pond at Leslie Park. This allows us to slightly change the level of the pond depending on the time of year. The discharge pipe comes out near the walking bridge that goes from #17 green to #18 tee. This pipe is 24 inches in diameter. While looking around 17 green the other day, I noticed that the discharge pipe was making more noise than usual. I checked the weir and, to my surprise, found a large snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) stuck between the boards and the reinforcement bar. Because the turtle was basically submerged, I feared it was dead and wondered how to remove it from the weir. Grabbing the bar used to change the board level, I began to lever the turtle out of it's position. I was very surprised when the fierce jaws suddenly grabbed the tool forcefully.

I was able to get the creature unstuck and he made his way to the outlet.

Once again, the outlet pipe is 24 inches around. Hours later, he had made his way back into the pond.

Spring Wildflowers

Here is a spring flower guide, thanks to Hiking Michigan and some pictures of some of the wildflowers at Leslie Park.


http://www.hikingmichigan.com/PDFinfo/SpringFlowers.pdf

Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum)

Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)

May Apples (Podophyllum peltatum)